A story in which Charlie raises Bella. Not completely against Renee, but also not entirely Renee-positive. Mostly fluff. I don't know if there's going to be an actual storyline, or just a few one-shots.

I'm insanely nervous to post this. R&R, please. 3

Charlie sat in the old, wooden rocker with his young daughter upon his lap. The newly two-year old girl laid her head against his chest, her arms and legs laying lazily against his own. He looked towards the clock that sat above the door leading to the hall, and noticed it was now seven-thirty.

"Goodnight stars, goodnight air, goodnight noises everywhere." He continued, smiling as he began to hear quiet snores from the small form atop him. Slowly and as silently as he could manage, he closed the book and lifted himself and his daughter out of the chair. The floor creaked, seeming to object to his disturbance of the peace.

With an arm under her knees, he walked slowly toward the crib on the other side of the window. The bed was cozy, with her quilt from Gran hanging over the side, and her small, fuzzy blanket sewn by Sue Clearwater within.

As her back touched the bed, Bella turned onto her side, snuggling closer within herself as she brought her knees towards her chest. Charlie rolled his eyes lovingly as he brought the quilt down onto her, shielding her from the cold of Washington's winter. The girl began to bring her thumb towards her mouth, and her father sighed as he gently blocked her way with his hand.

He still couldn't believe that he had been granted primary custody, especially after Renee had been caring for her solely since she was only six months old. A surge of gratefulness almost ached within his chest.

It had been a fight within himself to make the decision to file the petition. The deciding factor being Renee searching for homes in Phoenix. She had left Forks long ago but had settled for living in Seattle. Charlie knew she wouldn't remain happy in Washington, and that it wasn't necessarily Forks that had been the problem, rather the constant cold in the air.

He couldn't be without his daughter. He couldn't trust Renee, who was wild and unpredictable in many ways, to be the sole caregiver of Bella. He couldn't trust that she wouldn't rely on her for comfort and care.

Bella needed stability, and a parent able to take care of her. Sure, he wasn't always the warmest, nor was he the most social, but he could care for her. He did care for her.

A large, but still relatively small, sigh escaped the girl before him, and he took that as his cue to sneak out of the room.

Bella woke earlier than usual that morning. Cuddling close into her blankets as she waited patiently for someone to notice she was awake. There was a rumbling in her belly, and she rolled onto her knees, grabbing the bars on her bed as leverage to stand on the uneven surface.

Her long, brown curls were in knots around her head. She looked around her room, briefly hearing the sound of her father still asleep across the hall.

The girl giggled as he snored, allowing her arms to be pulled as she leaned backwards, allowing her head to fall back. Then she had an idea. She had only done it once before, not having attempted it after she fell on her face the first time.

She wanted her dad, though, and it seemed worth the risk.

Bella lifted herself up, using her feet to climb against the bars. She allowed herself to be flung over the ledge, holding on as the fear of what she was doing began to register in her mind. The drop seemed very far.

Then she dropped, landing with a thud on her feet, only to slip on her socks and land on her bum.

She didn't cry though, instead she stood and rubbed her hand against her bottom, scrunching her nose in dissatisfaction.

A smile quickly replaced the features on her face. She was out!

Bella walked towards her father's bedroom, grunting as she pulled on his blankets while she climbed onto his bed.

"Dada!" Bella yelled. He smiled, but turned over, facing the other side of the room.

The small girl harrumphed and crawled over top of her dad's sleeping form. She placed a big, wet kiss on his cheek. He smiled again.

"Daddy!" She called, again, this time a bit more forceful.

Charlie jumped, rolling onto his back. "How did you get out of your bed?"

"I climbeded." She explained, looking at Charlie like he was asking the most ridiculous question in the world. "I hungry."

Luckily, Bella was still happy with her pureed fruits for breakfast. He opened a pouch of strawberry/banana puree and gave it to the girl sitting in her highchair.

Charlie needed to invest in cooking lessons. He wasn't as awful a cook as Renee, but he definitely couldn't cook either. Bella was doomed on that front. Two parents who couldn't cook, plus the clumsiness she had inherited from her father, and the poor girl was doomed for kitchen nightmares.

The front door opened then, revealing Billy and his wife Sarah, along with their son Jacob, who was only a few weeks old.

"Where are the girls?" Charlie asked, causing Bella to turn in her chair. She squealed and started to try and stand. "No, Bella, sit and eat."

She whined and did as she was told.

"They're out front." Billy explained. "The snow is sticking."

Ah, that made sense. You never knew how long you had with the snow in Forks. The rain could come and wash it away, leaving just ice, anytime.

The girls were a couple of years older than Bella, and they'd be starting kindergarten in the Fall, but they still occasionally played with her. It was more of a relationship like cousins would have – they weren't friends, but they liked to play together when they were around each other.

Rachel and Rebecca were twins, and almost completely joined at the hip – figuratively speaking.

"Hey Bella!" Billy's voice boomed. She turned around again, still sucking on the pouch of fruit. She lifted her arms to her father's friend, who gladly picked her up, ignoring a look from Charlie. "Doesn't your old man know you need meat?"

"I don't want to poison the kid."

Billy laughed. "Ahh, you're starving her instead! Look at her, skin and bones." He demonstrated how small she was by putting a single hand underneath her and lifting her over his head, causing Sarah to yell out in panic. Again, Billy laughed. Once he brought her down, the smile on Bella's face was noticeable, and Sarah began to relax.

Once her feet were once again on the floor, Bella stumbled up the stairs, wanting to get dressed so she could go outside and play with Rachel and Rebecca. Charlie seemed to catch on, helping her dress, but informing her it was too early to go outside.

There was a brief tantrum, followed by a few minutes sitting alone in her rocker, but Bella eventually calmed down and forgot why she had been upset in the first place. Her attention now focused on the small cries elicited from Jacob.

"Hi, baby!" Bella said, probably a bit too loudly, into his ear. She quickly lost interest, though, as the two girls entered the house, lips purple from the cold.

Charlie got to work on some hot chocolate that he had lying around for Christmas. He was insanely excited to introduce it to Bella. His daughter loved chocolate, and he knew she would be amazed by the warm drink.

Things were falling into place, and he was looking forward to every second.